TIMMs: Trudeau's Institute of Magic and Mystery
by J. Sparrow
Summary: A companion piece to LittleTree's HP fic, TIMMs is the story of Adrien Stormcrowe and her life at Canada's Hogwarts-equivilant. She goes through all of the angst any normal teen does - loss, friendships, betrayal, elation... and love
1. All Alone ?

**CHAPTER 1**

I sat in the back of the classroom, doodling on my paper. Class held no interest anymore. Well, to be honest, it never had, but the fact that my best friend was gone meant that there wasn't anything at all to look forward to about school. The seat next to me stood empty, reminding me of my loneliness. I drew pictures of a snitch and broomsticks, my dog, a snowflake -

"Miss Stormcrowe! I asked you a question!"

I snapped out of my trance. I looked up, startled, at Mr Gaudet at the front of the classroom.

"Uh… sorry. I didn't catch it," I slurred.

He snorted. "Well, obviously. Would anyone else care to answer for Miss Stormcrowe?" Jenna's hand, of course, flew into the air. "Miss Drysdale?"

"A snapdragon disguises itself as a harmless garden flower, but is distinguishable from the actual plant by a set of almost undetectable fangs that protrude from its petal-like lips."

I choked back snicker at her textbook answer and returned to my artwork.

"Thank you, Jenna. Miss Stormcrowe," said Mr Gaudet.

I looked up slowly with my best look of disdain. "Yes?"

"I expect a 6 page essay on the properties of snapdragon venom in biological warfare, its antidotes, and its potential for medical purposes by Monday."

I groaned, but the chimes rang, preventing me from protesting against his unjust punishment. I had Quidditch practice right after classes today and a game on Saturday. I had planned to spend Saturday partying after our certain victory and then Sunday recuperating from the party, but it looked like my celebrations would have to be cut back.

I sighed and gathered my books and pens, then stuffed them into my bag. I slung the strap over my shoulder as I walked out and trudged my way to the dining hall for lunch. As I walked down the staircase, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find Scott smiling at me. I smiled back as best I could. "Hey."

"Hey you. What's the matter? You look like you lost your b-" he stopped dead and the smile vanished. "Oh God, Aje. I'm sorry. I didn't… I forgot-"

"Never mind," I said, and pulled his arm so he would stop blocking the traffic. "It's ok. I _did_ lose my best friend, remember?" He looked sheepish and I forced a laugh. "Oh get over it. You always pull Weasleys."

We walked to one of the tables in our house section and sat down with my other friends Chris and Ryan. They looked at me with obvious pity and I groaned. "Stop it! Seriously!" They glanced at each other and at Scott - he shrugged.

"What's on the menu today?" he asked, and Ryan handed him a paper. "Hmm… I'll have… a burger and fries today," he said. The food materialized on his plate and he dug in heartily.

I looked at the menu. "Chicken fingers," I stated. Immediately I was comforted by the warm smell of my delicious lunch. As I ate, I glanced around at some of the other tables. I laughed inwardly at the first years, who were all still enthralled by their ability to order the food to their plates.

When I was finished, I grabbed my bag and got up. "I'm going to the library before 4th, guys. I'll see you at supper." The boys nodded and I headed away. I brooded as I walked to the library. I loved the guys, but it just wasn't the same without Gwyn. You can't share the same jokes and secrets with boys. They wouldn't get it.

It took me a while to get to the 5th floor because I was still full from lunch, but I refused to use the Floo powder to get around the school anymore. I had had a regrettable accident in my first year which I had never gotten over.

When I finally got to the library, I headed to the creature section, only to find all the books on snapdragons had been borrowed already. I shrugged and headed to my dorm room. Maybe I could scam an essay off of Jenna. She had no doubt written one at some point.

I climbed the stairs again to the 8th floor and walked the halls until I came to a large window that seemed to overlook the fields behind the school. I glanced to my sides to make sure no one from another house was around, and stepped through the pane. I still couldn't get over how much I loved that feeling; like you were stepping through a cold, refreshing waterfall - without getting wet. I trudged through Glacier lounge and up the stairs on the left to the door of my room.

I threw my bag on the floor next to my bed, and fell on the bed face first. I sighed into my pillow, and turned to look at the bed beside mine. I had shared the room with Gwyn for 5 years. Now it was made, the dresser beside it empty and plain, the posters on that side had all been taken down and there was no snow falling on her bedspread.

I bit my lip and turned away. I missed her so much. It was like having a piece of me cut off and mailed far away, never to return. _Screw 4th and 5th periods_, I thought. _I have to go to Quidditch though. _

I reached over to my bedside table and grabbed the little vial of silver liquid. I sat up and uncorked the bottle, then let a drop fall on the bedspread. As the snow began to fall, I laid back down. After setting the alarm beside me with a flick of my wand, I soon fell into a light, fitful sleep. I hadn't truly slept since Gwyn left. It was weird being so alone.

I woke up a while later, but not to my alarm as I had expected. Instead, I was scared out of my mind by my cat, Logan. He jumped on my stomach and I screamed, which sent him scurrying into a corner behind a trunk. I laughed and looked at his little black face hidden in the corner.

"Aww, Logan. I'm sorry sweetie. Come here. Here kitty," I pleaded to him, dangling my fingers in the air. He inched out slowly and I giggled at him. Then, like a flash of black fur lightning through the air, he was on my stomach again. I ran my thumb gently over his nose and ears, and he purred contentedly. I was just getting sleepy again, when my alarm went off - startling me and sending Logan back into the corner angrily.

"Oh, you big pussy," I laughed, and then got up and went over to my dresser. I pulled out the silver and light blue jersey and threw it over my head. "I've got to go to practice, Logan," I said, peering into the corner. "See ya later." I grabbed my Firebolt from on top of the trunk and headed to the lounge.

A few people were in the couches, talking, and Jenna was reading on the floor. No sign of the boys. As I was about to step through the window that looked into the hallway, Jenna called my name. I turned around slowly. "What?"

"You weren't in Herbology today."

"And?"

"Well, you missed quite a bit."

"Were you a dear and copied it down for me?"

She hesitated. "Well… yes… but that's the last time Adrien!" she protested.

"Sure. Thanks, Jen. But I gotta jet. Practice," I said and smiled thinly as I stepped through the 'glass'. I could always rely on Jenna to take my notes for me. I just hoped I wouldn't run into Mr MacDougall on my way out of the school. I almost never missed Transfiguration - it was my favourite class - and I knew I'd regret facing him after I had skipped it. He was such a cool old dude.

I reached the Quidditch pitch and smiled at my team-mates who were standing and waiting impatiently for me. I sauntered up casually to them and grinned nonchalantly. "Well, fancy meeting you here," I drawled. Their frowns cracked and they were soon laughing with me. We were the closest team in the school, and could never stay mad at each other. "Where's Caroline?" I asked. Our captain was _never_ late.

Ryan smiled. "She's warming up."

I laughed and we all headed to the center of the field. Sure enough, Caroline was circling up above on her broomstick, practicing evasions and attacks. She was the best Chaser in the school and it wasn't just natural ability. She practiced non-stop.

"Stormcrowe! You've finally arrived!" she yelled, and swooped down to field level. She hopped off her broom and scowled at me. "You're late."

"Only by two minutes," I whined. She smiled and hopped back on her broom. "You let the balls loose, Aje. Here we go guys. Let's have a good practice. We have to beat Nuage tomorrow. That'll put us in a tie for first with Chaleur."

"We know, we know," muttered Zach as he took off from the ground.

We laughed and I walked over to the trunk. I opened it carefully and pulled out the big, red ball. "Quaffle!" I yelled and threw it up. Caroline grabbed it. "Bludgers!" Zach readied his bat and hit the Bludgers far into the sky when I let them loose. "Snitch!" Sam steadied his broom and took off after the little ball immediately.

The Glacier Quidditch team was made up of 6 really good friends of mine, and me. First, there was Caroline; Captain and Chaser. The other two Chasers were Phil (a huge, dumb-jock type) and Sara (absolutely hilarious and very sarcastic). I was a Beater along with Zach; a short, but muscley guy who was always brooding about something. Our Keeper was Ryan, one of my really good friends, and Sam was our Seeker. He was Asian and an absurdly awesome broom handler. In my humble opinion, there wasn't a better Quidditch team in the world.

We practiced for a solid 2 hours and were all absolutely exhausted by the time it was time to head in for supper. I put the balls back in the trunk with little difficulty and locked it in the team dressing room. Ryan, Caroline and I laughed and joked on our way into the school and the whole team found a table to eat at together. It was a pre-game ritual to eat our supper and following breakfast as a team. And we had yet to lose, so why change what was working?

We sat laughing and eating, joking about how easy the game would be the next day. I was startled out of my chortling by a sharp tap on my shoulder. I turned to find Principal Rousseau standing next to me, with Mr MacDougall behind her.

"Would you please join us in the hallway, Miss Stormcrowe?" she said. I nodded and stood, ignoring the chorus of "ooohs" from my team-mates. _What now? _I thought, and traced my memory for any kind of rule breaking I could have committed. They wouldn't punish me for skipping class, would they? That had to be it. I hadn't done anything else worth discussion… had I? I gathered my wits and was fully prepared to defend my position when we stepped out in the hallway, but Ms Rousseau beat me to it.

"Miss Stormcrowe, I have something very important to discuss with you. I thought Mr MacDougall would appreciate partaking in the conversation - as he is your house leader."

"Ok, ok. I know what this is about," I interrupted.

Ms Rousseau looked surprised. "You do?"

"Yeah, and I just want to apologize for missing class, but I'm having trouble adjusting to the fact that Gwyn-"

"Yes, yes. Miss Braddock's transfer. That's what I wanted to talk to you about," continued Rousseau. Then she realized what I had said. "You missed class? When?"

Mr MacDougall chuckled from behind her. "It's alright, Adrien. I understand," he said in his thick Scottish accent. "I had Mr Anderson copy the notes for you. Yeh didn't miss too much."

I sighed and thanked him. What a great teacher. I just hoped Scott had gotten all the notes… he fell asleep last class.

"Anyway, Miss Stormcrowe, about the topic at hand," stated Rousseau. I raised an eyebrow to encourage her. "We have a new student who arrived this evening and was sorted into the Glacier house. As your room is the only one with an opening, the student naturally was paired with you."

I groaned. Even being alone was _way_ better than having to deal with a new kid. No doubt it would be some whiny, snotty little princess who I would never get along with. Or worse, someone like Jenna Drysdale. Ugh.

"However," continued Rousseau, interrupting my thoughts, "there is a slight difficulty. Though your room holds the only empty bed in the Glacier house, I'm afraid we may be setting a bad precedent by having the new student room with you."

I frowned. What was wrong with me?

"You see," explained Mr MacDougall. "The new student… well, he's a boy. 'is name's James Prescott."

I was at full attention. A new boy? My mind raced with all of the important questions that I was sure the two teachers standing in front of me wouldn't be able to answer.

"So, naturally, we are concerned with the risen situation."

I nodded, not listening. Was he hot? Was he my age? Did he like classic rock?

"Miss Stormcrowe, pay attention please."

I snapped to.

"We have decided to allow the arrangement to go on a trial run. One week should decide whether or not you and your new roommate are… compatible. Understand?"

I nodded.

"Any questions? Concerns?"

I knew Rousseau was grasping at straws now, trying to find some reason to keep us from rooming together. I just shook my head.

"Alright. Mr Prescott has just been shown to your room and I expect you will be a most courteous, respectful and _mature_ representative of Trudeau's, Miss Stormcrowe."

"Of course."

Ms Rousseau looked me up and down with a stern eye. "Behave yourself," she said.

I smiled. That, however, did not seem to reassure her, and she walked away with a sever frown on her sharp features. I turned to Mr MacDougall. "Sorry again," I said sheepishly.

He smiled kindly and placed a hand on my shoulder as we walked to the Glacier wing. "I understand, Adrien. And I know how yeh feel, believe it or not. It'll hurt for some time, to be sure, but you'll come to terms with it and begin to accept it. Trust me."

I smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, Mr MacD."

He patted my back as he turned and headed towards his office on the 2nd floor. "After some time you'll heal. But you'll always be friends, you can count on tha'."

I nodded and continued my climb to the 8th floor. I was filled with a warm, fuzzy feeling as I reached the window. I gave a slight nod to Sam - who always finished supper first and retreated to the fireside to study his playbook - and walked up the stairs to my dorm room. With a deep breath, I pushed open the door.

There, on Gwyn's bed, sat a boy holding my cat. He looked up and smiled.

"I like your cat," he said. I smiled back and walked into the room.

"His name's Logan," I said, sitting on my bed.

"As in, Wolverine?"

"Yes! Exactly! I'm so glad someone else here knows the X-Men," I said, laughing. I could definitely get along with this guy.

"My name's James. Prescott," he said awkwardly, and held out his hand.

"Adrien Stormcrowe," I replied, shaking his hand. We sat there in an awkward silence for a few seconds, and I found myself studying his features. He had dark brown, shaggy hair, a square jaw, a sincere smile with nice white teeth, and the most startling blue eyes I had ever seen. From what I could tell so far, he had a nice body too. His t-shirt hugged his arms and chest slightly. I also noticed his firm handshake. I was pondering what else on him was firm, when he broke the silence.

"So… what year are you in?"

"6th. You?"

"Same."

"Cool."

Silence.

"Do you have any pets?" I asked.

"Yeah, my owl Axl and-"

"Your owl is named Axl!"

"Yeah, why?"

"No way! Mine is Slash!"

"Really? That's awesome!"

We immediately knew we'd be great roommates and rattled on about ourselves. I found our that he had moved to Canada from Chicago, he had a pet rat named Sabertooth, he had played Keeper for his Quidditch team, his old school was called "Capone's" and that he loved classic rock.

When I looked over at my clock and saw it was 12:30, it registered that I had a game the next day.

"I really need my beauty sleep before a game," I said and he nodded.

"Understandable. I'll let you get to bed then."

"I'll give you a tour of the school on Sunday, ok?"

"Deal."

We drew our bed curtains to change into our pyjamas. That was a little awkward, but we managed to do it without laughing, and said goodnight.

As I lay contentedly in my bed, I remembered what Mr MacDougall had said to me. I still missed Gwyn so much it hurt, but my new roommate would sure help me recuperate fast.

That night I slept well for the first time since Gwyn had left, and I fell asleep dreaming of Guns N' Roses, Quidditch and snow.


	2. Another Day, Another Game

**CHAPTER 2**

When I woke up the next morning, I was surprised to hear a snore coming from the other bed. I had become used to being alone. I dressed as quietly as I could, and smiled when I saw Logan curl up in the warm spot I had left in my bed. I ran to the girl's dorm bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, and when I got back I looked into the long mirror hanging on the wall to straighten my uniform and tie my long, black hair into a braid, so it wouldn't blow in my face during the game.

I grabbed my Firebolt off the trunk and tiptoed over to James' bed. I peered through the bed curtains and covered my mouth with my hand to muffle a laugh. He was sleeping soundly with is mouth wide open and drool on his pillow. His feet were sticking out the bottom of the blankets. I whispered, "James… James…" He didn't stir. I glanced at the clock. If he didn't get up soon, he would miss breakfast.

I tapped him on the back, I pulled his hair, I tickled one of his feet… he still wouldn't wake up. I sighed and cleared my throat.

"JAMES!" I hollered. He flew a foot into the air and twisted around with surprise to find me laughing at him. His hair was all stuck up on one side and the drool had dried on his face.

"Wha…?" he muttered.

I laughed harder, then finally managed to get out, "Come on. Get up, lazy bones. Breakfast's in 10 minutes." He tore around the room grabbing clean clothes and socks, and stopped in front of the mirror to groan at his dishevelled appearance. I laughed again. "I'll show you where the bathroom is so you can at least wash your face. But hurry." Somehow, we managed to make it to the dining hall with a minute to spare, even after taking the 7 flights of stairs to get down.

We walked into the hall and I headed for the team table, ignoring the stares James and I were receiving from the entire student body. I stopped in front of the team table and sighed. Everyone was staring at James. I cleared my throat and Ryan snapped out of it and pulled up and extra chair.

"Guys, this is James Prescott. My new roommate," I said, sitting down. Caroline raised her eyebrow at me and I smiled slightly. As I proceeded to introduce the entire team, I studied each person's face for their reaction. So far, it seemed like everyone was surprised, but cool with the situation. Only Ryan seemed to have a weird expression once the introductions were done.

My concern, however, was forgotten when I noticed James was the only one without food on his plate. I laughed and showed him how the menu worked. He found it as cool as I did in my first year, and everyone was amused by his enthusiasm.

As we sat and talked casually, Caroline interrupted with a sudden choke. We stared at her as she spazzed and coughed on her mouthful of toast. She gulped down water teary-eyed, and pointed wildly across the room. We looked at each other with questioning eyebrows, and looked in the direction she was pointing. Suddenly, it clicked. The entire Nuage team table was empty. We all stuffed as much food in our mouths as possible and grabbed our broomsticks off the floor. As I ran for the door with the rest of the team, I remembered James.

I ran back to the table and looked around crazily for a quick solution. I was about to grab his shirt to drag him with me, but someone laid a calming hand on my back. I spun around to face Scott, and was filled with relief.

He smiled at me. "I'll take care of him."

I threw my arms round Scott and squeezed him as hard I could, then bolted for the door. "Thanks Scotty!" I bellowed as I ran down the hall to the main doors. I heard his laughter as I burst outside and ran across the field to catch up with my team.

We sat in the dressing room before the game and listened to the stands start to fill with yelling, laughing students. I was standing in a corner with Zach, and we were stretching each other's arms. Caroline paced back and forth in front of the door, waiting for the runner to give us the 3 minute warning. Sara and Phil were talking quietly on the floor, running through different offensive patterns, and Sam sat on the table under the chalkboard, reading his playbook. I smiled at Ryan who was sitting on the bench, getting into his "zone". He grinned back at me and gave me a wink. I giggled and shook my head at him, then went back to cracking my wrists.

The loud bang of the door made us all jump. The runner stood there.

"Sorry," he said. "Y'all got 3 minutes."

He left, and Caroline closed the door behind him with irritation. We all stood and faced her, awaiting the pre-game pep talk.

She took a deep breathe with her eyes closed, and when she opened them, I was comforted by the familiar look of suppressed fury and concentration. I loved how worked up Caroline got before games. Her intensity was contagious.

"Ok, guys. Here we go. This is our second last game before finals. You know what we have to do. You all know your jobs. We've run through the plays hundreds of times. I know you could do your patterns in your sleep," she said, and started pacing again.

"We can beat these guys, no question. And we have to. You know as well as I do that a win against Nuage secures a tie for 1st with Chaleur, and that means we'll be playing for the cup. Just play with your hearts, not your heads. If you think too much, you'll screw up. You all know that." I smiled as she began to get louder. Ryan stood next to me and squeezed my hand.

"Intuition. Concentration. Energy," she continued. "We are the Glacier house team, and our motto is ICE. Remember that. Now let's get out there, and kick some ass! Let's show these guys how ICE will always weigh down CLOUDS!"

I laughed and cheered with the rest of the grinning team. We all loved how absolutely corny Caroline always got. We burst out of our dressing room and lined up in the tunnel into the stadium. As the announcer called out our names, we ran out into the bright sunlight in the centre of the pitch. I bathed in the cheers and whistles from the crowd. Mr Gaudet stood in the centre circle with his whistle. I groaned inwardly. I forgot he was refereeing… no doubt he'd call some stupid penalties on me.

I shook off my disappointment and stared down the 3rd year across the circle from me. I looked at Zach out of the corner of my eye and he nodded sternly. I smiled smugly at Caroline - a smile which she returned - and then winked at Ryan. He smiled broadly. Nothing fazed him.

"Players, mount your brooms," said Gaudet. We did.

He opened the case and released the Snitch, and I watched Sam trace the miniature ball through the sky until it disappeared. Then up went the Bludgers, and I raised my club, in case they decided to assault any players as we waited in the centre circle. Caroline bared her teeth at the guy across from her as they readied themselves. Gaudet reached into the case and pulled out the Quaffle, paused, then tossed it into the air above Caroline and her rival. As soon as his fingers left the ball, Caroline rocketed after it and snatched it out of the air in front of the guy's reaching hand. In a flash she was off towards the opposing rings, tailed closely by Sara and Phil.

Ryan flew off to defend our rings, and Zach and I began to circle the pitch, ready to deflect the battering Bludgers from our team mates and towards the Nuage players. I had already lost Sam in the air; he was probably already on the Snitch's trail.

I had a few good smashes during the game - one which almost cost one of their Beaters his arm. I was flying above the game, watching for rogue Bludgers, when I caught sight of Sam. He was hot on the Snitch's trail, and within reaching distance of the little ball. I could tell he was struggling though, and didn't realize the problem until I noticed the Nuage Seeker… she was holding onto the back of Sam's broom and trying with all her might to hold him back from the Snitch.

Filled with righteous anger, I was about to dive bomb her, when a lucky Bludger soared towards me. Raising my club, I grinned mischievously. At the last second, she looked up at me, and fear filled her eyes. I felt no pity, and banked the Bludger with a crack towards her. It smashed into her broom, which snapped, and she plummeted towards the ground.

I smiled and sat back on my broom as Sam's hand closed around the Snitch. I could hear the cheers of the crowd and the sigh of relief as the girl who had fallen was lowered safely to the ground by Mr Gaudet. I knew he would do that. I wouldn't have risked the shot if she wasn't going to land softly.

Sam smirked at me and flew up to give me a high-five. I laughed as Sam and I were bombarded mid-air by the entire team. Caroline was almost crying she was so happy.

"What's this?" I teased. "Tears? And I thought you were completely confident in our ability to win?"

She snorted and wiped an eye. "Well… there's always a chance…" she tried to explain. I just laughed and patted her on the back. We flew in a clump back to the ground and were immediately accosted by the entire Glacier house. We were all raised on people's shoulders, and I smiled as widely as I could at Mr Gaudet as I was carried away. He stood in the centre of the pitch, glowering. I waved and laughed, knowing full well that he knew he couldn't do anything about it. I hadn't committed a single penalty.

As we were put on the floor of the entrance hall and headed up to the house lounge, I found James. He was grinning at me from across the crowd. I made my way over to him and was surprised when he wrapped me in a huge bear hug.

"That was _awesome_!" he said. I giggled and put my arm through his as we were caught up in the flow of the crowd moving up the stairs. I talked about the game with James and few other people around me, and scanned the crowd for my team. Caroline, Sara, Zach and Phil were racing each other up the staircase; Sam was flirting with his girlfriend and Ryan… where was he? I didn't find him until much later during the celebration party in the Glacier lounge.

James, Caroline, Scott and I were sitting on a couch and I was talking to James when I saw Ryan cross the room, sitting in a chair. He was staring at me. He caught himself when I found his eyes, and he looked away, embarrassed. Without looking back at me, he stood up and headed for the stairs. He was stopped by a few people congratulating him, but made his way through the crowd and up the stairs to his room without even a glance back at me.

"Hey Adrien… Adrieeeeen," said James. I blinked and realized that I had stopped mid-sentence.

"Hunh? Oh… Sorry James," I muttered. I was still distracted by Ryan's weird behaviour. It confused me. And kinda hurt. I looked at the floor and cleared my throat, then looked up at James and put on a smile. "Listen," I said. "Why don't you stay and hang out here with the rest of the team. I'm really tired and I still have to shower and do some homework."

He frowned slightly. "Oh. Ok," he said. I could tell he was slightly hurt.

I smiled and gave him a side-hug. "Caroline'll take care of you. And she'll introduce you to some more people, ok?" Caroline smiled and said, "Sure!" and I stood up. I headed to the bathrooms and smiled at James over my shoulder. He gave me a worried grin and I continued on, smiling and thanking the people who patted me on the back and complimented by battering skills.

After my shower, I took the side door out of the bathroom so I wouldn't have to go back through the party with only a towel on. When I reached my room, I pulled on my pyjamas and slippers. I grabbed my Defence Against the Dark Arts books out of my bag on the floor, and lay on my bed. Logan jumped up next to me and curled against my side.

I tried as hard as I could to stay focused on the essay I was supposed to be writing, but I couldn't stop picturing Ryan's expression as he stared at me from across the room. I sighed and put away my books. I always had tomorrow to write the essay, and I was a good last-second writer. I knew I had to tour James around tomorrow, but figured that I could always stay up late to do the essay. I pet Logan and thought about how I should probably talk to Ryan tomorrow, too. That, however, I would try to avoid for as long as possible.

I shooed Logan off my bed and grabbed the vial with silvery stuff. Falling asleep under the tickling snow, I thought about the game, my homework, and Gwyn; and wasn't even aware of James entering the room and looking at me through the gap in my bed curtains. I never saw the sadness on his face, and I didn't hear him sigh as he climbed into bed; thinking of his fear of a new school, his confused emotions… and his girlfriend.


	3. Musical Owls

**CHAPTER 3**

I woke up early on Sunday, and immediately got my books out. After a solid hour of reading the textbook, I realized I had no idea how the hell to begin the essay. I cried to myself and threw a bunnyhug on over my pyjamas. I stumbled out into the lounge and found Jenna right away, reading some huge, ancient textbook by the fireplace. I sauntered up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Jenna. What's happenin'?"

She sighed and closed the book, then blinked up at me through her ginormous glasses. "I am _not_ giving you a copy of my essay, Adrien."

I groaned and sat on the floor by her chair. "Whyyyyyy?" I whined.

"Because you need to learn about it yourself and do your own work."

"But all of the books are taken out of the library! I can't write an essay on something I have no information about!" I pleaded. I turned to give her my best puppy-dog eyes and waited for a response.

She shook her head and sighed. I smiled widely - I knew she was about to give in. When she looked back at me I resumed my pouty face. "I'm going to regret doing this," she muttered, and stood up to go to her room.

I smiled at her and said, "No you won't! 'Cause I'll love ya forever!"

She sighed again and left the room. I grabbed her textbook off the chair she had been sitting in and read the title, _Advanced Arithmancy_. I flipped through the first few pages, but then yawned and but it back down. I heard Jenna come back down the stairs and turned to face her and receive the essay.

She placed it in my hands hesitantly, but gave up and sat back down with her book. "Remember to rewrite it," she said, finding her spot in the textbook. "Mr Gaudet knows my handwriting."

"Of course!" I replied and ran back to the stairs. "Thanks a bunch, Jen!"

I entered my room as quietly as I could, but noticed that James was awake and rifling through his trunk.

"Morning," I said cheerily, and sat down on my bed.

He turned and yawn-smiled. "Hey. What're you doing? Homework again?"

I nodded and held up Jenna's essay. "Sort of," I giggled and he laughed and shook his head.

"How often do you do that?"

"Only for Defence Against the Dark Arts… and Herbology… and sometimes Astrology - but that's it. I do very well in Transfiguration and Potions on my own."

He laughed and sat on my bed next to me. "When do I get that tour of the school?"

"As soon as I'm done copying this out and making the grammar bad - otherwise he'll never believe I wrote it."

I continued to write as James dressed and went down to eat breakfast. I asked him to bring me a muffin or something and orange juice. No sense in wasting time. He got back a while later and related to me his impressions of the Glacier House members so far - he had sat with Ryan, Chris and Scott at breakfast. I laughed and ate as I listened to him. When I was done eating the apple and croissant he had brought me, he read and let me finish the essay. I was done in no time, and gave a great big stretch and yawn to signal my completion.

"Finally done?" asked James as he bookmarked his book and set it on his dresser. I smiled and nodded and watched him come across the room to me. "Let's see," he said and snatched the essay off my bed before I could stop him. He read out loud, "'_Snapdragon Venom: Friend or Foe?_'" He laughed at my title. I just smiled.

"6 pages on the nose, _and_ a bibliography," I said. "I just dumbed it down a bit from Jenna's version, and I figure it should earn me a solid B-… or even a B." James gave the essay back and I put it and my paper and books in my bag. I put Jenna's essay in my dresser drawer, so I wouldn't accidentally hand it in instead. I turned to James and shooed him with my hands.

"What?" he said.

"Off the bed. I have to dress and brush my teeth before I can give you the grand tour, ok? I'll be ready in 10 minutes."

"You look fine! Why can't we just go now?" he whined.

"I have to get ready!" I retorted and whipped the bed curtains closed.

"Girls…" I heard him sigh and had to laugh at that.

I was ready in 7.5 minutes and we went out in the hallway to begin the tour. "Ok, first - the owlery," I said. "I'm expecting a letter." We sauntered down the hallway slowly, and I listed off all the information I knew about each painting, plant or statue.

"Where is this elusive owlery?" he asked. "The Principal told me that Axl had been sent there when I arrived, and I'd like to see my owl sometime in the next century."

"We're getting there, now pay attention," I stated. He laughed and elbowed me. We were going down the stairs when we ran into Chris, Ryan and Scott on their way up to the wing. "Hey, guys! I'm just touring James here around the school. Anyone care to join us?"

Scott and Chris smiled and said "Sure," but Ryan mumbled something about having to get some homework done and continued up the stairs without pausing. I looked after him, and turned to Chris with my eyebrow raised.

"What is _up_ with him lately?" I asked. "He's been acting so weird…"

Chris hesitated and glanced at James pointedly. "Uh, nothing. I dunno," he replied, obviously meaning 'I'll tell you later. Not with James here'. Fortunately, James was too preoccupied with the 5th year girls coming up the staircase to have heard anything we said. I burst out laughing once the girls had passed, because of the way all three of the boys had swelled their chests and tossed their hair out of their eyes in a very dashing manner. They all turned to me, amused by my outburst.

"Whaaaat?" said Scott. I just continued to laugh as we reached the 4th floor and walked down the hall to the owlery. When we got to the door, I stopped and turned to James and with my best bored-tourist-guide voice, I said "On your right, we have the owlery. Oh no, watch out. One of the owls got loose. Ha. Just kidding. Please keep your hands and heads inside the vehicle at all times as we enter the mysterious and dangerous world of… the owl." Scott and Chris opened the door Vanna White-style and beckoned us inside the dark room. James laughed at our dramatics and walked in behind me.

I loved the dark, rustling owlery. It was so warm and alive in there… even though it smelled a little. But Mr Harris - the janitor - did his best to keep it clean. I looked up into the rafters and tried to find my owl, but it was too dark. So I turned to James and said, "You know any riffs from a GnR song?"

"Of course. How about… 'Sweet Child O' Mine?'"

"Sure. Let's sing it." With our best guitar impressions, James, Scott and I sang the intro to the famous GnR song. Chris just laughed and kept his eyes on the rafters.

"Here he comes, Aje," he warned. I held out my left arm, and my gorgeous owl lighted softly on my arm. I was always amazed at how such a huge bird could weigh so little.

"Wow, he's nice," said James, giving Slash a soft stroke on his back.

"You're lucky he didn't try to peck your fingers off," I said, surprised. "He usually never lets strangers touch him… or me. He must like you." James smiled at me and then at the Scop owl on my arm. I looked lovingly into the bright red eyes of my bird-buddy and stroked his beak with my finger. Slash clawed at my pockets for a treat, and I laughed and brought out a piece of the croissant I had saved from breakfast. As he gulped the snack down, I untied the bulky-looking letter from him leg. "Thanks, bud," I whispered, and let him fly off into the rafters to sleep off the exhaustion from his long journey.

"Who's that from?" asked James.

I tried to control my facial expression and said, "My old roommate." I could feel Scott's and Chris' eyes on me as I said it, and was thankful the room was dark so I wouldn't have to see the looks in their eyes. "Where's your owl?"

James whistled towards the ceiling, and a flutter of wings told us of the owl's approach. A large Milky Eagle owl landed on his forearm, and James rubbed its beak with his fingers. "This is Axl. Axl, this is Adrien," he introduced.

I laughed quietly. "Heya, Axl. He's beautiful, James."

"Yeah. _She_ is, isn't she?"

I smirked at him. "Oops. But honestly, how can one tell the difference?"

James smiled at me through the darkness. "Same way you can tell the difference between boy and girl humans."

"And how's that, exactly?" said Chris, feigning interest. Ignoring my chortle he said, "No really, Adrien. Please tell me. I'd like to know."

I punched him in the shoulder and turned back to James. "Letter? Package?"

He checked the owl's leg and found a small note attached. Once he had returned Axl to the rafters, we all returned to the hallway, breathing the fresh air deeply.

"Now where?" asked James, pocketing his mail.

I thought for a moment. "How about we start from the ground floor and work our way up?" James nodded, but Chris and Scott groaned at me. "What now?"

"That's gonna take _years_," complained Scott.

"No way am I doing that. Sorry, man," said Chris, holding up his hands in defence.

I smirked at them. "Fine, leave then. I'll do it myself." The looked relieved and said goodbye just before they raced each other down the hall to the huge fireplace at the opposite end. Each grabbing a handful of Floo powder from the bowl on the floor, they stepped into the fireplace one at a time and stated "8th Floor," as clearly as possible. Scott was second and performed his usual 'death-by-fireplace-burning' as he was enveloped in green flame.

I smiled and turned to James. "Ok, Jim. Let's go to floor 1 and start the tour for real."

He faked a huge, laboured sigh and followed me down the hallway and 3 sets of stairs to the main entrance. "Let the tour of Trudeau's Institute of Magic and Mystery commence."


	4. The Tour

**CHAPTER 4**

We walked through the foyer and then the doorway opposite the front doors, and stepped into the great hall. I gestured to the huge door on the left.

"Mess Hall. You've been and seen." To the right. "Down this hall is the gym. Boy's lockers on the left, girl's on the right. Storage room through the doors and to the right." I pointed up and said, "If you look up, you can see the balcony of each floor. 15 floors in all, no 13th."

"Of course," said James and I smiled. We stood there for a second or two, looking at people walking by on each of the balconies, and then at the towering ceiling, fixed with an enormous, gothic chandelier that hung down menacingly.

I walked forward and pointed to the row of fireplaces lining the wall opposite us, separated by an enormous staircase. "Main transport, Floo powder. I, however, prefer the stairs."

"I've noticed," groaned James.

I ignored him and continued. "There is a basement, but all it contains is the boiler room and Mr Harris' office. He's the janitor," I added.

"That's it? In a huge basement, that's all you have?"

I nodded. "It's only accessible by Floo powder, and as far as anyone knows that's all that's down there. Mr Harris always mutters about 'dragon dung' however, so we're not too sure…" I pointed to the stairs. "Shall we?"

James groaned again and I poked him in the ribs. We reached the second floor and I pointed down the hall.

"Muggle Studies classroom is the 3rd on the left. Each floor has bathrooms, but they move around randomly and I don't feel like finding them to show you." I turned to him and saw a puzzled look on his face. "I'm not sure why or how, so don't ask. But I _can_ tell you it really sucks to come out of the bathroom after it's moved and have no idea where the hell in the school you are." He laughed.

"I think the Terre Wing entrance is somewhere on this floor, but each house's Wing entrance is hidden, so I couldn't show you where it was if I wanted to."

"Terre?" asked James. "That's a house? What's _Terre_ mean?"

I sighed. "Well, we _are_ in Canada, so everything is bilingual. Even at a wizarding school. You see," I explained, "Each house is named after some sort of element. Terre is 'Earth' in French. Then there's Glacier- "

"That's ours!" beamed James.

"Yeah," I smiled. "Glacier means 'Ice', and that's why our colours are silver and light blue. There's Terre, who are green and brown; Nuage - 'Cloud' - is blue and black; and Chaleur - 'Heat,'" I grimaced. "They are red and 'burnt' gold."

"I take it you don't like them?" said James sarcastically.

"Gee, how can you tell?" I muttered as I began to climb the stairs again.

I stopped at the top of the flight and said "3rd floor. Ancient Runes is the 5th class on the left. Bathrooms are elsewhere." I went forward to the next flight, but stopped when I noticed James wasn't following me anymore. "Yes?" I asked without turning around.

"How can there be only one class and bathrooms on the whole floor?" he asked.

I turned. "Well, there _are_ more rooms, but I'm just telling you all the important ones that you need to know. The rest are either just spare classrooms, storage rooms, janitor closets or 1st to 4th year classes that we don't need to take anymore."

We continued on with the tour, me leading and unceremoniously pointing to the classes and James nodding and commenting.

"4th floor. Owlery. Bathrooms."

"5th floor. Library at the end of the hall on the right. Nuage Wing entrance somewhere, I think."

"6th floor. History of Magic, 2nd door on the right."

"7th floor. Potions at the end of the hall on our right."

"8th floor. Our Wing. You've been through the entrance. Transfiguration on the left. The teacher is Mr MacDougall, he's also the head of Glacier House."

"10th floor- "

"What happened to the 9th?"

"Oh, nothing. Just nothing you need to know about it."

"Oh."

"10th floor. Arithmancy. 5th door on the left. 11th floor. Charms in 3rd door to your right. 12th floor… nothing of interest."

"And there's no 13th right?"

"Correct. That means we have to Floo-it to the 14th."

"What? No more stairs?"

I laughed. "Well, unless you feel like trying to climb thin air to reach the 14th floor, be my guest. Notice how the stairs go no further now?"

James looked confused. "So there's _actually_ no 13th floor? You don't just call the 13th the 14th to avoid bad luck?"

"Nope. If you look at the school from a distance, you can see the gap where the 13th floor should be."

James looked impressed, and I laughed again, heading for the fireplace. "We'll do the rest of the tour with Floo powder," I said. "You're looking a little faint."

James smiled and nodded. "Thank God."

We appeared on the next level. "14th floor. Defence Against the Dark Arts 2nd door to the right. I have reason to believe the Chaleur Wing is somewhere up here."

"And finally, the 15th floor. Divination room is the 10th to the left. I have no idea what the hell could be in so many other classrooms, but whatever. Principal Rousseau's office is through the huge arch on our right. You need permission from a teacher and a special password to get through there, or those guys," I pointed to the lion statues on either side of the arch, "act as very well-trained security guards." James shuddered.

"Yeah," I said. "Not pretty."

"So we're done?" he said hopefully.

I cackled evilly. "Not yet. Roof and then… the grounds."

James groaned. "I'm dying! I can't walk the whole grounds!"

I sighed dramatically. "Fine. I _guess_ I could just point everything out to you from the roof."

We Flooed-it to the roof, where I pointed to a shack-type thing. "That's the Astrology tent. Very handy when it's raining up here, but not so safe in a wind storm."

James nodded thoughtfully. We walked to the edge of the roof and I pointed to everything I could see on the grounds.

"There's the Quidditch Pitch… the Greenhouse - Herbology class… There's the shed where the 1st years store their brooms for Flying Lessons… and the surrounding forest, the lake and the base of Mount Trudeau is used for the Care of Magical Creatures class. You can see the shack if you look hard enough through the trees there," I said and leaned close to James trying to show him by pointing.

"What? Where?" he said.

I leaned closer and closed one eye. "Right there. Beside that boulder… see? Look through the trees."

We leaned even closer, until I was aware that my cheek was touching his. I snapped backwards, and turned to hide my blushing face.

"So, uh… yeah. That's about it. The whole school," I stammered. I turned around again once I had regained control of the blood in my head. James was standing there looking awkward.

"Uh, thanks for the tour," he said and smiled.

I grinned back. "Not too bad, eh?" He laughed.

"What?"

He chortled a bit more, then managed to say, "You just said 'eh.'"

I tried to look unimpressed with him, but couldn't help but smile. "Well, I _am _Canadian, what did you expect? At least I don't say 'noo doot aboot it.'"

He laughed again and nodded. "I'm afraid I wouldn't hang out with you if you did," he admitted. I punched his shoulder playfully and then sat on the edge of the roof with my legs dangling over the edge.

"Hey, shouldn't you maybe, you know, sit back a little?" said James nervously.

"Don't worry, there's a charm on the building to prevent any 'mishaps.' I could jump off holding a 200 pound weight and still land softly without a scratch on me."

James shrugged and sat down next to me. We sat in silence for a while, admiring the sunset over the mountains, the reflection of the beautiful colours on the lake, and the soft shadows of the trees beginning to grow. I sighed and closed my eyes. "I love this view. It's so amazing. And you can smell the forest from here," I said, and took a deep breath of the piny scent that the soft breeze was carrying. I opened my eyes again. "Isn't it beautiful?"

James was quiet for a minute. "Yeah. It's gorgeous," he said softly. I turned slowly to watch his face react to the view, but caught him looking at me. We looked into each other's eyes for a minute, and I noticed how gorgeous his were… so deep and blue… then I noticed we were leaning in towards each other slowly. It felt like an eternity. We came closer, and closer, still looking into each other's eyes. Then I noticed something like a shade go over his, and he blinked. The moment was gone. He leaned back and cleared his throat, blushing slightly. I froze, not moving from my incline. What just happened? Then, unbelievably, he stood up and brushed off his jeans.

"Umm, Adrien?" he muttered.

I could not believe what had just happened. I felt so stupid. And so hurt. I coughed forcedly and rose to my feet, looking at my shoes. I felt horrible, but I couldn't let him see that. Maybe it was my imagination. Maybe there was no 'moment' there. But deep inside, I knew that he had broken that moment on purpose.

"Okay!" I said I little too loudly and cheerfully, making myself wince inside. "Let's head 'er back to the dining hall. I'm sure supper will start any minute!" I practically ran to the fireplace.

When James got in beside me, I noticed the hurt expression on his face. _Serves him right_, I thought. But I felt sorry anyway. We went straight to the main floor, and walked to the dining hall together, in an awkward, pregnant silence. Supper was just about to begin, and rushed to get a seat between Scott and Chris.

I laughed overly loudly at everything during the meal; even at things that weren't funny. James didn't once look up from his plate, and only said "Pass the salt, please," throughout the whole meal.

Just as we were finishing, I saw Scott, Chris and Ryan studying me suspiciously. I pushed my seat out from the table and took my last gulp of juice. "Well, ladies and gents," I said. "It's been a fine dinner, but I must excuse myself. I have some homework to do before I hit the sack early. I want to get a fresh start on the day tomorrow."

With that I escaped from the table and the curious stares I was getting from all my friends and housemates. I ran straight to the fireplaces and Flooed to the 8th floor. I didn't even check to see if anyone was coming down the hall, and went through the 'window.'

For the first time in my 5 years at TIMM's, I couldn't care less how 'cool' the window felt. All I could feel right then was embarrassment, shame and regret. I was also confused beyond words.

As I dashed through the common room, Jenna said something to me that I didn't understand. I replied with an "Uh-huh," and flew up the stairs to my room. I crashed onto my bed and shuddered with all of the emotions whirling around inside me.

I didn't cry, I rarely do, but I felt then the saddest I had for a very long time, and above anything in the world, I wanted Gwyn to be there with me. I needed my friend. And she probably had forgotten about me completely.

I put my pyjamas on and climbed into bed. I drew the curtains about the bed and pulled out my favourite book. When I heard James come in about a half hour later, I pretended to be asleep and snored lightly. I'm sure he knew I was faking, but he left again anyway; to hang out with the guys in the common room, I assumed. He didn't come back until much later, and I heard him get changed and draw the curtains around his bed.

We lay in silence most of the night, and I could feel that he was awake too. I wondered what he was thinking, and secretly hoped he wasn't regretting coming to TIMM's.

I slept without my snow that night, and had a short, troublesome sleep. The entire time I thought about how much James had hurt me and wondered if he really didn't like me at all.

I never knew that he was thinking about me the entire time, and wondering about whether he should tell me about his girlfriend in Chicago.


End file.
